Duke Shakes Up Shaw, 134-55
You don’t have to watch this year’s team for long to tell it’s light years away from last year’s. They score better, they pass better, and they defend better. But a big part of what’s different is that they just move faster. A lot faster, actually.
You can see it on the break, of course, but you can really see a big difference when they’re defending. They’re swarming guys. Three or four people will show up and just surround the ball. They forced Shaw into 34 turnovers, which has to be close to a record, exhibition or no.
DeMarcus Nelson, Gerald Henderson, and Nolan Smith are all capable of putting huge pressure on the perimeter. But Greg Paulus and Lance Thomas have improved considerably as defenders, Paulus not least of all because he’s healthy. Jon Scheyer and Paulus aren’t as talented individually as some of the other guys are, but in a team framework, they can be really good.
Offensively, the difference was almost startling. Duke hit less than a third of the threes taken (with Taylor King and Paulus taking the majority of those) and ended up scoring 24 from behind the line. But unlike last season, Duke went over, through and around Shaw, and scored any number of ways. Last season, Duke had a ton of trouble moving the ball into scoring position (and then trouble scoring after that). This year, they had 25 assists.
Of course, last season, they didn’t have Kyle Singler, either. Singler is starting to look like the most prepared freshman since Grant Hill. The big rookie was everywhere and played nearly mistake-free basketball. He shot 10-11 for 23 points and played some excellent defense.
In fact, at this point, Singler, already, is probably the best player on the team. He rarely makes mistakes, and his fundamentals are remarkably sound. Packer and Vitale are going to love him for little things, like not bringing the ball down on an offensive rebound.
One of the big questions is how Duke will handle the post, at least defensively. Right now, Singler and Thomas are getting most of the work. Thomas was a bit erratic last season, partly because he was a freshman and partly because he was asked to do a lot of things he wasn’t ready to do. He’s more ready to do them as a sophomore. His defense was pretty solid and we were surprised to see that he shot 6-6 from the floor. He also grabbed seven boards (DeMarcus Nelson got eight, and Taylor King and Brian Zoubek got nine each).
Greg Paulus and Nolan Smith will bring different things to the team. Paulus brings the grit and determination that a couple of rugged years will give you, and Smith brings quickness, defense, and the occasional spectacular pass. Having two guys who can handle the point, and two more in Nelson and Scheyer, who can see spot duty, is very helpful.
Add Gerald Henderson to their number and things get even more interesting. We can see, more and more, why his game is compared to Grant Hill’s. He’s not as good yet, but the talent is immense. Last year must have been frustrating for him, but this year he’s about to erupt. If Singler isn’t the best player, then it’s Henderson.
Marty Pocius also made it back to the court and had some spectacular plays, including a reverse layup move that he attempted twice and made once. Jon Scheyer didn’t shoot well but did play well overall, including solid defense and some nice passes.
Zoubek’s progress depends on his footwork and leg strength. His injury clearly set him back, and from the waist up he’s not a bad player. If he can apply his leg muscle, and move his feet, he’ll be a much more useful player. You can see hints of what he could do, but until he’s able to move fluidly, his contributions will be limited.
But the main thing remains the quickness, and how quickly the players react, particularly on defense. We’ve only seen them twice, but so far, there’s almost no comparison between this year and last.
Finally, it was somewhat jarring to see Duke play a lot of zone. But they did, and Coach K says he’ll probably do it more this season.